AirTag, Tile or GPS Tracker for a Car: What's the Difference?
If you want to keep track of your car, you may be wondering whether you need a dedicated GPS vehicle tracker or whether a small Bluetooth tracker such as an Apple AirTag or Tile could do the job.
All three can help with location, but they don't work in the same way.
An AirTag uses Bluetooth and Apple's Find My network to help report its location. Tile also uses Bluetooth, with its own network and Life360 integration. A dedicated GPS vehicle tracker uses satellite positioning to establish the vehicle's location and a mobile data connection to send tracking information to a tracking platform.
If your aim is to monitor a vehicle rather than simply locate a lost item, those differences matter.
How does an Apple AirTag work?
An AirTag is designed to help you find belongings.
It sends out a Bluetooth signal that can be detected by nearby devices participating in Apple's Find My network. Those devices can securely report the AirTag's approximate location, which its owner can then see through the Find My app.
Apple says its Find My network consists of more than a billion Apple devices.
AirTag also offers Precision Finding when you're close enough and using compatible Apple hardware.
An AirTag does not work like a conventional GPS vehicle tracker. It doesn't contain GPS and doesn't have its own mobile data connection for transmitting its location.
How does a Tile tracker work?
Tile is also primarily a Bluetooth tracker rather than a GPS tracker.
When a Tile is within Bluetooth range of a compatible phone running Tile or Life360, its location can be updated. If it's out of range of your own device, the wider Tile network can help update its location when another participating device comes within range.
Current Tile products can also be integrated with Life360, and location history is available depending on the service being used.
However, Tile itself does not contain GPS or provide continuous real-time GPS location monitoring.
How does a GPS car tracker work?
A dedicated GPS vehicle tracker works differently.
The device uses satellite positioning to determine where the vehicle is. It then uses a mobile data connection to communicate tracking information to an online platform or app.
With a suitable vehicle tracking system, you can have features such as:
- Live vehicle location
- Movement alerts
- Journey history
- Geofence alerts
- Access from a phone, tablet or computer
Global Trackers customers can access their tracking information using the GPS Monitor Plus app or through a web browser.
AirTag vs Tile vs GPS tracker: what's the main difference?
The biggest difference is how each device gets and reports its location.
An AirTag or Tile relies primarily on Bluetooth and nearby participating devices to help update its location.
A dedicated GPS vehicle tracker determines its position using satellite navigation and uses its own mobile data connection to communicate with the tracking platform.
That means a cellular GPS tracker doesn't need another person's phone to pass nearby before it can send a location update. It does, however, need suitable satellite reception to establish its position and mobile connectivity to transmit live information.
Can I use an AirTag or Tile to track a stolen car?
People do use Bluetooth trackers to help locate valuable belongings, and Tile even offers an Anti-Theft Mode intended to make a Tile harder for someone else to detect using Tile's Scan and Secure feature.
However, neither AirTag nor Tile is the same thing as a dedicated GPS vehicle tracking system.
With a GPS vehicle tracker, the vehicle itself carries the technology required to determine its position and communicate with the tracking platform.
If your main concern is vehicle theft, read our guide How Can I Track My Car If It Gets Stolen?
And if you believe your vehicle has been stolen, contact the police and follow their advice rather than attempting to recover it yourself.
Will somebody know there's an AirTag in the car?
This is particularly important when considering an AirTag for theft tracking.
Apple deliberately includes protections against unwanted tracking.
If an AirTag that has been separated from its owner appears to be travelling with somebody else over time, compatible iPhone and Android devices can warn that person about an unknown tracker moving with them. An AirTag can also emit a sound in certain circumstances.
These are deliberate safety features designed to prevent AirTags being misused to track people without their knowledge.
So although an AirTag can be extremely useful for locating belongings, its anti-stalking protections are another reason it shouldn't simply be regarded as a hidden replacement for a dedicated vehicle tracking system.
What about Tile's Anti-Theft Mode?
Tile takes a somewhat different approach.
Life360 currently offers an Anti-Theft Mode for Tile trackers. When activated, it can hide the user's Tiles from Tile's Scan and Secure Bluetooth finder.
Activation requires identity verification and agreement to Tile's Anti-Theft Mode terms.
This may make Tile interesting to somebody concerned about theft, but it still doesn't turn the Tile itself into a GPS vehicle tracker. Tile remains a Bluetooth-based location device and doesn't provide continuous real-time GPS monitoring.
Can AirTag or Tile show where my car has travelled?
This is another important distinction.
AirTag isn't designed as a vehicle journey-logging system.
Tile can provide location history through Life360, but the accuracy and updates depend on Bluetooth connections and the Tile network rather than continuous GPS vehicle tracking.
A dedicated vehicle tracking platform can record the vehicle's journey information, allowing you to look back at where it has travelled.
For a business, that can also be useful for mileage, vehicle use and reviewing previous journeys.
Which one can alert me when my car moves?
Dedicated vehicle tracking systems can provide vehicle-specific features such as movement alerts and geofences.
For example, you can create a virtual boundary around your home, workplace or another location and receive an alert through your tracking system when the vehicle enters or leaves that area.
AirTag and Tile have their own notification features, but they aren't the same as configurable vehicle movement monitoring through a dedicated GPS tracking platform.
Do AirTags and Tile have monthly subscriptions?
Their charging models are different from dedicated cellular GPS tracking.
An AirTag doesn't require a monthly subscription simply to use Apple's Find My network.
Tile offers functionality without requiring the same type of mobile-data subscription as a cellular GPS tracker, although some Tile/Life360 features and history depend on the service or membership being used.
A cellular GPS vehicle tracker usually has an ongoing service cost because the tracker needs mobile connectivity to send its information and a tracking platform through which you access it.
Global Trackers' current vehicle tracking subscription is £5.99 per month including VAT, including access to the tracking platform and the multi-network M2M SIM used by the tracker.
Which is better value?
That depends entirely on what you want the device to do.
If you want a small device to help find keys, luggage or other belongings, an AirTag or Tile may be a very sensible and inexpensive solution.
If you want to actively monitor a vehicle, see its location through a dedicated tracking platform, receive vehicle movement alerts, create geofences and review journeys, a GPS vehicle tracker is designed for that type of job.
The cheapest option isn't necessarily the best value if it doesn't provide the functionality you actually need.
So, should I use an AirTag, Tile or GPS tracker for my car?
Think about what you want to know rather than simply which device is cheapest.
If your priority is finding belongings and you're comfortable relying on a Bluetooth finding network, AirTag or Tile may suit you.
If you want dedicated vehicle tracking with its own GPS positioning and mobile connection, plus features designed specifically around monitoring a vehicle, a GPS vehicle tracker is the more purpose-built option.
They aren't really three versions of the same product.
They are different technologies designed for different jobs.
If you're unsure what would suit your car, tell us what vehicle you have and what you'd like to achieve. We'll help you understand the options without making GPS tracking more complicated than it needs to be.